5 Ways To Manage Stress

August 16, 2019

Dr Jasel Martin

Nobody said life would be easy, but they most people never imagined how stressful it really could become. When man first roamed the earth, the reaction to stress was important. It prepared early man to either fight or run like the wind. The hormones of stress cause the digestive system to slow, the heart beat faster and more blood sent to extremities. Unless those hormones are burnt off with activities like fighting or running, those changes don’t revert back to normal and can result in severe health issues. You need to learn to manage stress or it will take a toll on your health.

Running and fighting isn’t always appropriate when you feel stress.

While you might burn off stress if it comes from someone chasing you intent on doing harm, stress comes from so many other sources. Today stress is more subtle and can include anything from traffic jams to an angry coworker. Punching the coworker or leaving your car to run down the highway isn’t appropriate, no matter how appealing it may seem. Dealing with the stress that occurred or learning ways to control it are important.

Working out regularly is a stress buster.

Exercise is a good stress management tool. It helps get your body back to normal by burning off the hormones created by stress. Sometimes, just taking a brisk walk can help. I had a client that used to run up and down the stairs to relieve stress immediately. If you’ve ever noticed, often people pace when they’re under stress. It’s the body’s innate knowledge that physical activity relieves it.

There are ways to avoid getting to the point of agitation.

Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, massage, yoga or tai chi and meditation can help stop stress in its tracks. So can looking toward humor for relief. There are numerous famous cases of people who supplemented treatment for serious diseases with laughter and it helped. Laughter took the edge off the stress people face in those times. Your sense of humor and how you frame a situation in your mind makes a huge difference.

Eating healthy is ultimately important to preventing stress. A poor diet adds extra stress to daily living and high intake of sugar causes dramatic spikes and drops in blood sugar to add to the stress.

Take time for yourself. YOU deserve to be treated well and it all starts with how you treat yourself. Others treat you like you treat yourself, so give them a positive example to follow.

Stress can cause serious warning signals, such as chest pain, fatigue, muscle tension and pain. If you don’t do something, it can cause heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other serious conditions.

Stress can cause a severe emotional impact. It can change your mood and even lower your sex drive. If not dealt with, those emotional symptoms of stress can create ramifications with people who are important in your life.

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